The present invention relates to the management of non-volatile memories and, more particularly, to a method of managing a memory such as a flash memory that has a finite data retention time span.
FIG. 1 illustrates the storage of a bit, either a zero bit or a one bit, in a cell of an electrically programmable memory (EPROM) such as a flash memory. For historical reasons, this process of storing data in a EPROM is called “programming” the EPROM. Specifically, the cell that is the subject of FIG. 1 stores one bit of data, and so commonly is called a single-level cell (SLC). Initially, the cell has a nominal threshold voltage V1, that represents a one bit. For example, after a block of a flash memory has been erased, all the cells have nominal threshold voltages V1. Because of unavoidable inaccuracies in the initializations of the cells, the actual threshold voltages are distributed around the nominal threshold voltage V1 according to a distribution curve 10. Then, to each cell that is to store a zero bit, a train of programming voltage pulses is applied, in order to inject electrons from the cell's silicon substrate through the cell's oxide layer into the cell's floating gate, until the cell's threshold voltage exceeds a reference voltage V0 that represents a zero bit. Because the electrons move through the oxide layer by quantum mechanical tunneling or by hot injection, because of non-uniformities in the cells' structures, and because the initial threshold voltages are distributed according to distribution curve 10, the threshold voltages of the cells that store zero bits are distributed above V0 according to a distribution curve 12.
A cell is read by comparing the cell's threshold voltage to a reference voltage VR that is above distribution curve 10 but below V0. If the cell's threshold voltage is below VR then the cell's contents are read as a one bit. If the cell's threshold voltage is at or above VR then the cell's contents are read as a zero bit.
Over time, the threshold voltages of the cells that store zero bits tend to drift downwards. Also shown in FIG. 1, in phantom, is a distribution curve 14 that represents the distribution of the threshold voltages of the cells that have been programmed to store zero bits after the passage of a considerable amount of time. V1, VR and V0 are selected to be sufficiently far apart to preserve the reliability of the flash memory despite this drift of the threshold voltages.
One goal of the designers of flash memories is to reduce the cost per bit of storing data. This is accomplished in two ways. The first way is to use fabrication processes that cram more cells into the same semiconductor area. The second way is to use multi-level cells (MLCs) that store more than one bit per cell. Both ways of reducing costs decrease the retention time of the data. For example, multiple bits are stored in a MLC by defining 2n voltage bands, to store n bits, in place of the two voltage bands (above and below VR) of a SLC. Because the voltage bands of a MLC are necessarily narrower than the voltage bands of a comparable SLC, the threshold voltage of a MLC that has been programmed to store one or more zero bits drifts down to the next band down sooner than the threshold voltage of a comparable SLC drifts below VR.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a method of managing a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory to increase the memory's data retention time.